10 WWE Wrestlers Lost In The Shuffle

9. Toni Storm

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Toni Storm is the last person at fault for the indifferent vibe around Toni Storm at present, such is the achingly familiar pattern of main roster arrivals in the modern era.

Her character debuted on SmackDown in July right as venues were filling up again in the post-pandemic gold rush. This should have been ideal - Storm’s a prodigious yet proven talent, the blue brand was in desperate need of a talent injection, and crowds were ready to explode for just about anything that felt as fresh as the mere act of attending a wrestling show.

She was even given an updated finisher in her debut match. Storm One was a decent update on Storm Zero, and at very least suggested that investment had been made in the character’s short-to-medium term future.

That was rendered complete b*llocks in the weeks that followed. A July in-ring arrival was followed up on with a disappearing act broken up by a fleeting return for a half-baked romance angle with Dolph Ziggler. WWE do this to themselves - Storm’s steady away start was something to build off. Now, they’ve got to do all the work all over again.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett